Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
By the time “Space Jam 2” hits theaters around the world in the summer of 2021, it will be nearly 25 years since Hall-of-Famer Michael Jordan and his NBA teammates faced the “Monstars” in an epic basketball game that apparently was good enough for a re-boot.
The sequel features LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, and reports last week suggested fellow NBA players Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, and Klay Thompson are all on board as well, along with the WNBA’s Diana Taurasi. So who else could be joining the movie?
Former LeBron teammate Dwyane Wade – who just retired from the Miami Heat after this past season – heads the list of other potential cast members at -105 (wager $105 to win $100).
While Wade will have some time off now to invest in the film, there are several other well-known players who are still playing in the league and may or may not be able to make it work. For example, Kevin Durant is about to hit free agency and also needs to focus more on rehabbing an Achilles injury he suffered during the playoffs.
Durant is listed at +2200 (bet $100 to win $2,200) on this prop wager at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com and seems like an even longer shot to make an appearance in Space Jam 2 at this point.
Others like Carmelo Anthony are currently out of work and may or may not be in the league again. Anthony has played with the New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets over the past three seasons, and he may be a good wager as well at +175 considering his basketball career is definitely coming to a close, one way or another.
Two more of James’ former teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers have made the list too, as James Jones is +1600 and J.R. Smith is +2200. Jones is now general manager of the Phoenix Suns while Smith has played his last game in Cleveland.
Bigger stars like Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and James Harden of the Houston Rockets are on the betting board with much longer odds, with each of them sitting at +4000. They are obviously much less likely to be added to the cast in the eyes of oddsmakers, especially when compared to another pending free agent in Kyrie Irving, who is the third choice at +210 on those NBA odds and reportedly on much better terms with his former teammate James.
Ben Simmons (+450) and Joel Embiid (+750) of the Philadelphia 76ers are also in the mix while Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks might have some value at +2800 as he continues on his path to superstardom.
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